With so many digital camera manufacturers offering inexpensive digital SLRs, consumers have a lot of options to choose from. The overall quality is generally very high, but careful testing can detect subtle differences. Although our tests turned up some small issues with image quality and performance, we found the 8-megapixel Olympus Evolt E-500 to be a very good camera, but one that still falls shy of unseating our present entry-level D-SLR Editors' Choice, the Nikon D50.

In terms of pricing, the Evolt E-500 compares well with offerings from Canon and Nikon. We were particularly impressed with the E-500's Two Lens Outfit ($899.99 list), which includes a 14- to 45mm f3.5/5.6 and a 40- to 150mm f3.5/4.5 Zuiko digital zoom. With the 2X magnification factor (a byproduct of the four-thirds sensor on this D-SLR), that works out to a 28- to 300mm equivalent zoom range. This effectively makes it a superzoom D-SLR. Nikon's D50 is available with similar lenses, but for slightly more money. With just the standard 14- to 45mm zoom, the E-500 retails for $799.99.

The Evolt E-500 takes the place of the Evolt E-300, which had a unique elongated shape. The E-500 is a more conventional SLR, and it feels good in the hand. It's also smaller and lighter than Olympus's other D-SLR, the E-1. The Evolt E-500 features serviceable menus but lacks the onboard help and tips found in the Olympus Stylus 800. We like the fact that the scene mode settings feature a description of what each mode means, and its effect. For example, Landscape Portrait reads "For shooting both main subject and background. Vivid reproduction of blues and greens." But a couple of the modes need better descriptions, such as the Children mode: "Shooting active children" just isn't very helpful, and for some people, it's a little alarming.

We also found that the controls are not as nicely laid out as they are on the Nikon D-50. While the D-50 has a top display screen for exposure info, the same info on the E-500 appears on the LCD panel. Such controls may be fine for those using point-and-shoot cameras, but D-SLR fans prefer info to appear as it does on the D-50. The Evolt E-500 has lots of options in its playback mode, including the ability to jump ten images back or forward. But it would be nice to have the Canon Rebel's 100-picture jump feature, especially with the large GB memory cards now available.

The Evolt E-500 lets you shoot in a variety of formats and combo formats. Many entry-level cameras let you shoot in RAW+JPEG mode (a mode that lets you shoot two formats at once), but the E-500 gives you the option of three types of JPEG compression (high, medium, and low). It's also one of the few that still support TIFF.

Another hallmark of the Evolt system is the supersonic wave filter that eliminates dust, which appeared to work well on this camera. The HyperCrystal LCD measures 2.5 inches and is bright and clear. It's also quite good when viewed from different angles, with no solarizing.

Where the Evolt E-500 fell short of the D50 was in performance testing and on our still-life test shots. In tests of its burst mode, for instance, the E-500 starts out at about the same rate as the D50, but while the D50 keeps on going for almost 100 shots without pausing, the E-500 stops every fourth or fifth shot to empty the buffer. This isn't so good when you want rapid firing for an extended period of time.

Our test shots revealed that noise was kept to a minimum overall at ISO 100 and 200, but we began to see a bit more at ISO 400, earlier than on the D50. Noise goes up dramatically at ISO 1000 and 1600, but this is typical of most D-SLRs. The shots had very good color saturation and accurate color matching, but the colors didn't pop quite as much as they did with the Nikon D50.

Our still-life image showed just a hint of fringing. We also saw this when we shot tree branches against a bright sky: Some of the branches were subtly but noticeably backed by purple and green lines. The image had even exposure throughout, though it was underexposed by about one f-stop. Dynamic range was also good overall, with deep blacks but no pure whites because of underexposure. Contrast was also a bit too sharp on the E-500, resulting in the loss of some detail in shadow areas. The D50 registered perfect contrast on our tests.

Our flash test shot showed flash coverage to be okay, although the flash could have been stronger at its auto setting. The flash shot had minimal noise and just a bit of fringing, though a touch more than the D50. But just as before, we saw an increase in noise by the ISO 400 setting. The noise was colored, and although it was slight, it was a bit more than we expected. Color saturation and matching were quite good, as with the simulated daylight shot. Still, there are settings you can change to give you more optimal results. The flash shot had fairly decent exposure, but it was underexposed by about one f-stop overall, showing a good, rich black but not a true white.

The camera averaged 1,650 lines of resolution, which is just above the low end of the range for an 8MP camera. While this is higher than the D50's 1,550 lines, it didn't match the Rebel XT's whopping 1,750.

The Evolt E-500 took 2.5 seconds to boot up. That's pretty quick for an average camera but on the slow side for an SLR. The 1-second recycle time was definitely speedy, though not as quick as the D50's. As we usually see with D-SLRs, there was no shutter lag. As for lens distortion, there was just a bit of the usual barrel distortion but no pincushioning.

To sum up, the Olympus Evolt E-500 is a full-featured D-SLR that offers lots of options for novices, prosumers, and even pros. It's a worthy alternative to the Nikon D50, our current Editor's Choice, and the Canon Rebel XT, but not quite good enough to replace them.

Other Olympus Digital Cameras

Terry Sullivan is a writer, photographer and artist, who has worked in the photo industry for nearly a decade. In 1998, Terry was hired by Photo District News, a monthly magazine for professional photographers, as...

Automatic Renewal Program: Your subscription will continue without interruption for as long as you wish, unless
you instruct us otherwise. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of the term unless you authorize
cancellation. Each year, you'll receive a notice and you authorize that your credit/debit card will be charged the
annual subscription rate(s). You may cancel at any time during your subscription and receive a full refund on all
unsent issues. If your credit/debit card or other billing method can not be charged, we will bill you directly instead. Contact Customer Service

//our current issue

Select Term:

24 issues for $29.99 ONLY $1.25 an issue! Lock in Your Savings!

12 issues for $19.99ONLY $1.67 an issue!

State

Country

This transaction is secure

Automatic Renewal Program: Your subscription will continue without interruption for as long as you wish, unless
you instruct us otherwise. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of the term unless you authorize
cancellation. Each year, you'll receive a notice and you authorize that your credit/debit card will be charged the
annual subscription rate(s). You may cancel at any time during your subscription and receive a full refund on all
unsent issues. If your credit/debit card or other billing method can not be charged, we will bill you directly instead. Contact Customer Service